Yan Qingqing watched Li Xiang'an and Li Xiangbao playfully fighting from the sidelines without interfering.
It was rare for Li Xiang'an to be so relaxed, so Li Xiangbao was naturally no match for him. In the end, he grinned and begged Yan Qingqing for help, saying, "Second Aunt, please plead for me."
If my second brother accidentally disfigures me, forget about marrying a beautiful wife. I might not even be able to marry an average one.
Yan Qingqing looked at him and sneered, saying, "At such a young age, you judge people by their appearance. If you ask me, your second brother should teach you a lesson."
Don't blame your second aunt for being biased; it's just that I can give birth to more children than your mother.
Li Xiangbao: ...
No wonder his second aunt refused to help him today; it turns out he said something wrong.
But he really didn't mean anything by it. Wasn't he just praising his second aunt? Why is she angry?
Finally, after Li Xiangbao repeatedly assured him, Li Xiang'an released him and said, "You're still young, don't always think about those things."
The important thing for you and Wang Dong to do is to manage the shop properly.
Remember, our goal is not just to open one shop and be done with it. We want to open a second, a third, or even a tenth shop. In the future, our shops will not only be located in the county town, but also in the prefectural city and the capital.
You will all become powerful and influential managers in the future, so don't let beauty blind you.
Li Xiangbao lowered his head further and further after hearing Li Xiang'an's reprimand. He never expected that such a casual remark would be met with such a severe scolding from his second brother. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would never have been so cheeky.
Looking at Li Xiang'an's posture, Yan Qingqing thought to herself, "Wow, this guy's promise is even better than mine." Looking at Li Xiangbao's ashamed expression, she realized that the student had indeed surpassed the teacher.
The two stayed in the shop for a while longer. Li Xiang'an gave Wang Dong a few more instructions, and knowing that Yan Qingqing had important things to do, the two went to take care of them.
Although Li Xiang'an knew that Yan Qingqing had something important to do, he didn't know exactly what she wanted to do.
So he asked, "Mother, where are we going next?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Let's go to the teahouse to listen to storytelling."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiang'an exclaimed in surprise. With the family so busy, his mother still wanted to listen to stories; this wasn't like her at all.
Although her mother had openly and honestly gone to brothels to discuss business, a thought suddenly flashed through Li Xiang'an's mind: could it be that her mother also came to teahouses to discuss business?
But I haven't heard that their family plans to do this kind of business recently. Li Xiang'an looked at Yan Qingqing with some resentment, puzzled.
Why is it that he can never see through what his mother is doing, but his mother can see through his plans and thoughts at a glance?
Yan Qingqing didn't explain to him and went straight into Pinmingxuan, the largest teahouse in Chengyang County. She gave the waiter a piece of silver, who then found her the best seat. He then attentively served her fruits, tea, and snacks.
There weren't many people listening to the story, but the storyteller was speaking with great enthusiasm, telling the story of a poor scholar and a noblewoman.
While listening with great interest, Yan Qingqing whispered to Li Xiang'an, "I wonder which daydreamer came up with this plot again."
Li Xiang'an asked, puzzled, "Why is it daydreaming?"
Yan Qingqing said, "Let's not even talk about the fact that this poor scholar can't even see a daughter of an official. Even if he did, would those daughters of officials who have been taught the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues since childhood pay any attention to such a down-on-his-luck scholar?"
Wouldn't it be better for her to marry a man of equal social standing? Only someone with a screw loose would consider living a hard life with this poor scholar.
"Not to mention anything far back, just a year ago, which daughter of an official would have taken a fancy to you?"
Li Xiang'an: ...
Why did his mother say such hurtful things? Not only did the daughter of an official not want him a year ago, but even now, she still doesn't want him.
However, Li Xiang'an had to admit that Yan Qingqing was right.
When the storyteller finished his story, he was surprised to hear no applause. The storyteller was a little embarrassed.
At this moment, someone below spoke up: "Mr. Wen, can you think of some fresh ideas?"
You've been telling this story of the poor scholar and the official's daughter since last year; even the most captivating story gets tiresome after a while.
Yes, we hear the same stories every day; we're sick of them.
We wouldn't have come here if your tea wasn't so good.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, the shopkeeper quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Please be quiet, everyone. We've been looking for new storybooks recently."
I'll tell you about the new story in a couple of days.
This finally calmed down the people below.
Soon, the audience dispersed, leaving Mr. Wen and the shopkeeper looking distressed.
The shopkeeper said, "Mr. Wen, you'd better think of something quickly. Haven't you come up with a new story in all this time?"
Look, even the guests have complaints.
If this continues, our teahouse will have to close down.
Mr. Wen lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Shopkeeper, writing stories isn't that easy. Some people can't write one even after several years. I haven't written a new story for only half a year."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper deflated like a punctured balloon. Was his ancestral business about to be lost in his hands?
At this moment, Yan Qingqing stood up and led Li Xiang'an to the shopkeeper, Mr. Wen.
The two hadn't expected that there were still guests left; wouldn't that mean the lady and young master had overheard their conversation?
The two men were immediately embarrassed again. Finally, the shopkeeper sighed and said, "Please forgive my poor management. It's really due to my bad business practices."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Business is about making and losing money, Manager Yun, there's no need to be modest."
If it's about storybooks, I have as many as I need, and the stories are all unique.
Upon hearing this, Manager Yun and Mr. Wen's eyes lit up. Just as they were about to ask about the price, Yan Qingqing waved her hand to stop them and said, "However, I don't sell my storybooks."
Manager Yun was deflated upon hearing this, and Yan Qingqing said again, "However, Manager Yun can use your teahouse's share of the profits to offset this."
Not only was Manager Yun shocked, but Li Xiang'an was also stunned. His mother was trying to get something for nothing, wanting a share of the profits without spending a penny. In his mother's words, this was simply freeloading.
When Manager Yun came to his senses, he was indeed very angry and said, "This lady is going a bit too far. This is my family's ancestral property. You think you can just take a share of it for free with a few words? Do you think I'm a fool?!"
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Manager Yun, there's no need to be angry. If you're not willing, that's fine. I won't force you."
Manager Yun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
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